COMMENTARY

Renewable energy, CARICOM and Fossil Fuels (Part 2)

by Clarence Pilgrim

Tuesday, August 23, 2005

As we strive to achieve prudence in the management of our natural resources and build an environmentally safe region for future generations of Caribbean Community (CARICOM) citizens, we have no choice but to seriously consider switching to clean and renewable resources of energy, to “spin the wheels of industry and commerce”.

The term "renewable" means that these resources are continuously available (example energy from the sun) or can be regenerated quickly (example plant matter used in bioenergy).

These resources will be used more efficiently than fossil fuels - coal, natural gas, and oil - and can help reduce the damaging effects of their use on the environment like pollution of lands, global warming and a poor quality of breathing air. 

Clean energy has its socio-economic benefits particularly if we have developed a respect for nature. This is a fundamental human value. Caribbean Countries must now examine sustainable patterns of production and consumption, if we are serious about national development while avoiding negative impacts on the environment.

On a practical level the everyday household will benefit by the overall cost efficient application of clean energy. Since clean energy technologies generate electricity using a number of renewable fuels, let us now take a look at the types of renewable energy options, open to us as a progressive Caribbean Community. 

Wind Energy: Wind turbines use the wind and its resulting force to turn their blades and produce electricity. 

Biological Energy: Agricultural and forest byproducts are utilised as fuel for electricity, e.g. ethanol, which is a clean-burning, high-octane fuel that is produced from crops such as corn for use in vehicles. 

Fuel Cells Energy: Fuel cells use the chemical creation and breakdown of hydrogen to produce electricity and heat. 

Ocean Energy: These technologies harness the power of waves, tides, and ocean temperature changes to create electricity.

Hydropower Energy: Turbines attached to dams use the power of river flows to produce electricity. 

Solar Energy: Solar photovoltaic panels use the energy carried by sunlight to produce electricity. 

Let us now take a closer look at these very important areas of renewable energy and be progressive and forward thinking, as we contemplate on the ones that would be most appropriate for specific areas of the Caribbean Community.

Wind Energy : For centuries, moving air has powered humanity’s advancement by turning windmills and filling the sails of boats. Wind turbines provide significant amounts of energy using only the natural power of the wind.

This technology harnesses the kinetic energy of flowing air and then transforms the mechanical energy of spinning blades into electricity. Present turbine technology have made this process a very efficient and cost-competitive option for a number of applications. This is considered a clean technology because it produces no emissions dangerous to the environmental.

Biological Energy : Bioenergy can be produced using a variety of materials that include forest wood, crops like corn, and various forms of waste materials from consumer, industrial, and agricultural processes. Each material is a source of fuel which may be burned to produce energy.

Some of the uses of bioenergy includes but is not limited to electricity production and transportation: Liquid biofuels like ethanol, biodiesel, and bio-oil can be used to power cars and other transportation. Bioenergy technologies vary widely depending on their fuel and generation type. Some forms of bioenergy rely on waste from consumers, construction, landfills, and other human sources. 

Fuel cells: This technology cannot yet compete economically with more traditional energy technologies, but rapid technical advances are being made. A fuel cell is an electrochemical device used to create electricity. It converts chemical energy to electrical energy.

However, unlike a typical battery that holds a limited fuel supply in a sealed container, a fuel cell requires an ongoing supply of fuel to create a continuous flow of electricity. The fuels, hydrogen and oxygen, are fed into the fuel cell and a chemical reaction occurs which produces electricity along with heat and water. Fuel cells have potential for a variety of applications including stationary and portable power uses.

Ocean Energy: Tidal and wave technologies convert the kinetic energy of moving water into electricity. Ocean Thermal Energy systems uses the solar heat absorbed by marine waters to generate clean energy. In theory, these three ocean-based renewable resources could meet the world's energy requirements many times over, but they remain largely undeveloped at present.

Tidal Energy takes advantage of the daily flow of tides and of more localized water in motion. The gravitational pull of the moon drives tidal flows, while persistent currents and large-scale circulations are influenced by solar heating, water chemistry, and other factors. Most tidal current technologies employ a turbine to transform kinetic energy into electricity. 

Wave Energy are powered largely by the wind and the tides and are mainly devices that harness kinetic energy associated with the up-and-down motion of the water column as waves pass through it. 

Ocean Thermal Energy Systems exploit temperature differences between warmer, surface layers and colder, deep layers of the ocean. All designs require a large-diameter intake pipe to pump cold water to the surface. There, they employ a variety of heat-exchange cycles to drive a turbine and generate electricity. The commercial application of this technology is being developed. 

Hydroelectricity is created by rivers, streams, and other flowing waters that can be used to generate electricity. Modern hydro facilities incorporate turbines that spin when in contact with moving water, as well as generators that transform this rotational energy into electricity. These components are installed next in or near diversion structures (such as dams) that take advantage of gravity as water flows downward.

Hydropower is a renewable resource because it uses the continuous flow of rivers and streams to produce electricity without using up the water resource. It is also a clean technology because it does not rely on the burning of fuels like oil, natural gas etc to produce power. 

Solar Energy: Solar photovoltaic technology uses the electrical properties of materials known as semiconductors to produce electricity. When hit by sunlight, a semiconductor material creates an electrical charge that can then be transferred through a circuit to anything that uses electricity.

These semiconductors are produced in the form of cells, which are then assembled in a structural panel. Depending on the amount of electricity needed, these panels can then be connected in an array of any size to provide the electricity needed for a home, office, or larger facility. 

Significant policy and institutional changes are necessary if we are to derive the benefits of clean energy. Radical if not revolutionary changes must take place if we are to protect both our society and nature.

The effect if this new policy if implemented will protect the environment, enhance fuel supply and reliability, build the economy, and decrease our dependence on the heavy use of fossil fuels for electricity generation and transportation.

Never before in our history do we have a landmark moment to take our own destinies in our hands. Are you up to the challenge?

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